The Conditions for Recovery Podcast: Hope, Agency and Chronic Illness

When Alexandra Stenson was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia she was told her life was over and that she just needed to learn to live with pain and limitations. She thought "that's not for me" and started a journey of figuring out how her life could be better. She now says she is healthier and happier than she was before becoming disabled. “Let's look at what's possible. Let's not sign you off and leave...

“That’s when I went from just existing to beginning to live.” In this episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast, Ann Livingstone shares her journey from living through six decades of persistent pain, fatigue and opioid dependency to taking back control of her life and finding a new sense of purpose. For 60 years Ann experienced physical injuries, medical dismissal repeatedly framed by clinici...

"When you live with pain, the first thing you want is your pain gone. The pain might lessen, it might not but let’s figure out how to get back into life and have that energy." In this episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast Amber Kyliuk who has lived with persistent low back pain for 12 years shares her story of figuring out what she could do next once conventional treatment had failed. Amb...

“I’d rather sit with a Doctor who says “I don’t know what’s going on” than not to believe me and say that I was trying to avoid work or I was making it up.” In this episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast globally recognised patient advocate and educator Virginia McIntyre shares her story of being dismissed with accusations of over reaction and just not wanting to work to an “awesome life”...

“You can’t focus exclusively on one part of your body or mind and neglect the rest.” In this episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast Carolyn Sullins, PhD shares her journey from decades of medical gaslighting and misdiagnosis to feeling back in control of her symptoms and her life. Carolyn now has a diagnosis of Functional Neurological Disorder but it took a long time to reach that outcome....

“My pain was never there to be seen but it was always there to be heard.” In this episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast Lee Vaughan shares his journey from 28 pills a day to being a leading voice in the patient advocacy world. Lee suffered for 30 years with pain eventually leading to the point that he became a person he didn’t recognise. He was trapped by healthcare in the "learn to live...

"No one is coming to my rescue. I became the support that I needed." In this Episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast Amber Horrox shares her journey from the collapse of her life to thriving. Having suffered for 20 years with debilitating migraines which were misdiagnosed she eventually hit rock bottom when she couldn't cope anymore, putting on a façade that she was functioning brilliantly...

PAIN WORK IS ALWAYS SOCIAL JUSTICE WORK WORK WITH GEORGE (Free 30-Min Consultation): https://www.paincoaching.co.uk/consultation In this episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast, George chats with practitioner, author, and advocate Shabnam Rakhiba. Shabnam discusses her long, arduous experience searching for diagnostic clarity and the lessons she has learned to live with less emotional and p...

"That's what life's all about. We enjoy life and not endure it." Work with George (Free 30-Min Consultation): https://www.paincoaching.co.uk/consultation In this episode, globally renowned pain self management advocate Pete Moore discusses his long journey with persistent pain and the techniques he has learned to live well without medication or experiencing “bonkers” pain for nearly 30 years. Afte...

"A zombie went into hospital and a hyperactive teenager came out." For years Louise Welch's life was dominated by the pain of Fibromyalgia and Osteoarthritis. Taking 15 different medications including dangerously high doses of strong opioids, reaching 25 stone and confined to an armchair by pain so severe she couldn't even stand light touch. Now she has transformed her life to become one of the le...

Work with George (Free 30 Min Consultation): https://www.paincoaching.co.uk/consultation "I was a senior leader in a construction company by day, but my wife was left with the leftovers of me at night." Keith Meldrum spent 40 years navigating persistent pain, trapped in a cycle of ineffective medical interventions and trying to maintain a "mask of normalcy." In this episode, we break down why the...

Work with George: Want to regain control over your pain? Book a free 30-minute consultation (Remote or Edinburgh-based): https://www.paincoaching.co.uk/consultation The impact of doing the simple things well, taking a wider view of your condition and moving beyond an ineffective medical model of pain care. In the third episode of The Conditions for Recovery Podcast, George speaks with Darrell Pric...

Work with George: Want to regain control over your pain? Book a free 30-minute consultation (Remote or Edinburgh-based): https://www.paincoaching.co.uk/consultation "As a healthcare provider, the best instrument you have is your ears. If you really listen to your patients and take on board what they're saying, they give you the clues. You are the detective. You have the medical background to put t...

Work with George: Want to regain control over your pain? Book a free 30-minute consultation (Remote or Edinburgh-based): https://www.paincoaching.co.uk/consultation "The model we're working in is the 'chest infection model'. You take the meds and you get better. But with persistent pain it never works like that. Real recovery starts when we change the approach." In the first episode of The Conditi...

The current script for persistent pain is broken. A significant narrative you hear from people who are experiencing persistent pain or chronic illness is one of hopelessness. The message is clear: you are told you just need to learn to cope, to live with it and to be resigned to the inevitability of decline. Through my own personal experiences and the best outcomes I’ve seen, I know that another w...